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How to Aim Your TV Antenna in Champaign, IL

Every transmitter near Champaign, with the compass direction and distance from town, and the one direction that picks up the most channels.

Transmitter directions from Champaign, IL N E S W WCCU — 51° NE, 22 mi WICD — 99° E, 18 mi WBXC — 134° SE, 0 mi WTHI — 142° SE, 75 mi WTWO — 143° SE, 75 mi WAWV — 143° SE, 75 mi WEIU — 185° S, 38 mi WBUI — 250° WSW, 33 mi WAND — 251° WSW, 33 mi WLCF — 252° WSW, 35 mi WILL — 257° WSW, 23 mi WCQA — 259° W, 50 mi WCIA — 268° W, 11 mi WYZZ — 307° NW, 62 mi Champaign

Point West 278° on a compass — 75 miles of range covers this whole market

7/14stations in the beam
38/66free channels
58%of what's available
The other 7 stations sit southeast of you (131°). A rotator, or a second antenna facing that way, is what it takes to add them.
3 of these stations broadcast on VHF frequencies. Many antennas sold as "HDTV" or "4K" are UHF-only and will miss them entirely, whichever way you point.

Every Transmitter Near Champaign, IL

Sorted by compass bearing, so neighbouring rows are neighbouring towers.

StationNetworkChannel BearingDirectionDistanceSubchannels
WCCU FOX 27 51° NE 22 mi 3
WICD ABC 15 99° E 18 mi 5
WBXC Heartland TV 18 134° SE 0 mi 5
WTHI CBS 10 142° SE 75 mi 5
WTWO NBC 2 143° SE 75 mi 4
WAWV ABC 38 143° SE 75 mi 4
WEIU Independent 51 185° S 38 mi 2
WBUI CW 23 250° WSW 33 mi 5
WAND NBC 17 251° WSW 33 mi 7
WLCF CTN 45 252° WSW 35 mi 5
WILL PBS 12 257° WSW 23 mi 3
WCQA 365BLK 16 259° W 50 mi 10
WCIA CBS 3 268° W 11 mi 5
WYZZ FOX 43 307° NW 62 mi 3

Marked rows fall inside the recommended beam.

What Antenna Do You Need in Champaign, IL?

How far the transmitters are, which way they sit, and what that means for the antenna you buy.

The nearest transmitter is 0.1 miles away, and most of the lineup sits within 51 miles.

For Champaign we would start with an outdoor or roof-mounted antenna. The transmitters are a long way from town. An outdoor antenna mounted as high as possible, pointed toward the towers, is what it takes to receive the full lineup reliably.

The towers around Champaign are spread across 256° of the compass, so no single directional antenna will reach all of them. An omnidirectional antenna picks up every direction at once but with less reach, and a rotator lets a directional antenna turn toward whichever station you want.

Learn more about choosing an antenna

Before You Climb the Ladder

The limits of these numbers, and how to work around them.

These are true bearings, not magnetic. A compass app on your phone usually reads magnetic north, which differs from true north by a few degrees depending on where you are in the country. For antenna aiming that difference is small, but if you are lining up a long-range directional antenna it is worth checking your local declination.

Bearings are measured from the centre of Champaign. Over the distances involved, a few miles in any direction barely moves the angle, but your own address is what ultimately matters.

Hills and buildings are not in these numbers. A transmitter 20 miles away behind a ridge can be harder to receive than one 40 miles away across flat ground. Point at the recommended bearing first, then adjust a few degrees either way while watching your TV's signal meter.

See every channel available in Champaign, IL, including what each station carries.

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